This year the Pope proposed to the Church a “year of the priesthood”, to renew and strengthen the priestly ministry, to recall its importance in the life of the Church, to deepen and put in value its meaning for the world. The model chosen was that of the Curé of Ars. The different dioceses where we are have organized all kinds of activities and made proposals, to which we have taken part more or less intensely.
An Institute like ours, “dedicated to the apostolic and pastoral ministry conferred by the ordination”, although “including also lay religious”, could not but feel concerned by that question, not only each of its members but the congregation as such.
From the beginning a question arose: As Sons do we have something specific in the way we understand and live the priestly ministry? [...]
Events
International Committee of the Sons of Charity
Every three years those in charge in the twelve countries were there are Sons of Charity get together with the General Council: Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Mexico, Quebec in the Americas; Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, and Republic of Congo, in Africa; France, Portugal and Spain, in Europe; and the Philippines in Asia. We call that the International Committee.
This time they met in Issy-les-Moulineaux (France) from January 18 to 23, 2010. On the agenda: reflection on our religious and apostolic life, in the light of the orientations of the last Chapter in 2006. “What are our peoples living?”“How are we trying to respond as pastors and apostles of the poor?” Community life, the functioning of our structures and of formation, and also the external and internal communication in a small congregation that is somewhat dispersed throughout the world; all these also were part of our agenda.
One of the themes that drew especially our attention this time: the vocation of the brother amid a congregation that is mostly composed of priests, an aspect dear to our founder and that historically has met with difficulties in order to develop itself. This has led those in charge of the Institute to reflect on what models essentially our identity as religious who are both pastors and apostles among the poor and the workers. An identity in which priests as well as brothers must be able to recognize themselves. All this supposes also a “specific” manner to live the priesthood, far off any “clericalism”, still too present in the Church.
For the Anizan Fraternity, the Companions of Charity, the Auxiliaries of Charity and the Sons of Charity, the meeting in Lourdes in August 2008 prefigures
what the Evangelical Anizan Family can be. As a follow-up, a small commission withtwo members from each group has met to share on what is being done and to reflecton the possible ways to construct an Anizan Evangelical Family.
Among others things we have look at:
- the spirituality that unites us (a common heritage),
- the common spirit that proves itself in different ways,
- the possible ways in which such a family could be organized.
A first general meeting is scheduled for December 6, 2009 in order to share andevaluate the process.
For the moment, these relations involve France, but the steps made here will serve in the future as a reference at the international level.
International Committee of the Sons of Charity
Evangelical Family on the way